Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina and the county seat of Richland County. The site was chosen as the state capitol on 22 March 1786 due to its location in the center of the state, and it was incorporated as a village in 1805 and as a city in 1854. The city grew rapidly as one of America's first planned cities, and it was burned to the ground during William T. Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864 during the American Civil War. Columbia became a regional textile manufacturing center during the early 20th century, and the city experienced a construction boom in 1911 and 1912. During the 1990s and 2000s, the city's downtown area was revitalized. In 2016, Columbia had a population of 134,309 people.